The Tristan Mall Incident - Completed
by McCainSr
Summary: Raccoon's sister city experiences a contained outbreak in a mall. A group of survivors fight against BOWs (featuring Licker, Cerberus, Hunter and new addition) and an Umbrella offical. A must read!
1. The Release

Part One  
  
The Release  
  
Sam Bracknell walked into the mall, trying to orient himself in the unfamiliar territory. The mall was huge. It took up probably an eighth of a mile and two stories. Sam bitterly recalled how he was dragged here. It was his friend's idea. Sam only agreed because he wanted to see if he could lure some girl into his car, get her into his place and take her for the "grand" tour. At least, he thought it was grand. Sam wasn't sure how they would see it.  
  
Sam smiled and looked around.  
  
Sam walked up to the girl in the pink and tapped her on her shoulder. He allowed her time to turn to face him, then put on a smile. "Hi there," he said, throwing all of his energy into his courage. "I couldn't help but notice you –"  
  
Her lips turned up in a sneer. "What a pity," she cut him off. "So you force this on me as well? As fun as it may be for you noticing me, it's pure terror for me to be required to take note of you."  
  
Sam was thrown for a loop by the rush of words. He was still struggling to process a few of them. "Perhaps," he blindly persisted, "we started off wrong. I usually don't use pickup lines. See, I think they're –"  
  
"You don't?" asked the girl. "Then how do you expect to get any at all? Your looks? Your intellect?" Her eyes widened with histrionic realization. "Oh, you *don't* get any."  
  
Sam wasn't sure of what to do, but he kept talking. "I'm Sam Bracknell." He extended his hand to her. She sneered at his hand. Sam took it back and pocketed it.  
  
"I see," she said slowly. "Perhaps it's best if you leave. I wouldn't want to call security to remove you. The less people that have to touch you, the better."  
  
Sam cleared his throat and walked away.  
  
-  
  
The vans appeared over the horizon, coming in from the interstates leading south from Raccoon City. After crossing the city limit into Tristan, the two cars slowed to a normal speed, entering the city streets. No one knew the horrors they contained. No one could tell the plague they would implant on the small town. The only one who knew the full plan of Umbrella's attack was the woman in the driver's seat of the lead van: Orchida Dannings.  
  
"Um . . .boss? Where are we going again?" asked a confused voice on the other side of the CB radio.  
  
Orchida lifted her radio speaker impatiently to her mouth and sighed. "Just follow me. And where is that damn truck?"  
  
There was a crackle of radio static. "I . . .I'm lost." It was the driver of the delivery truck.  
  
Orchida closed her fingers around the speaker. "Where the hell are you?"  
  
The confused voice spoke again. "Todd, it's good to hear your voice again, man."  
  
"You too, Brett," Todd replied. "Mrs. Dannings, I'm at the mall now. But it's not what you said it would look like . . ."  
  
Orchida growled. "You stupid ****. Are you still in Raccoon?"  
  
"Yes ma'am," the man stated, indignant.  
  
Brett was laughing. Orchida knew this was not something to laugh at. "The prearranged mall is in Tristan. Not in Raccoon!"  
  
Todd was silent. There was the sound of a car starting under his voice. "Oh. I'll be there in two minutes."  
  
Orchida pounded the steering wheel and hurled the speaker into the passenger seat. She hesitated before allowing herself to lose control and scream the name of all the minor gods of Rome, thinking about serenity and peace. She allowed the world to fade away, seeing grand fields of grass, endless flower fields, redwoods thrusting from saplings, stretching to the sky, reaching across the aeons, into the frontier of the future and watched space black out. Then, when the light returned, she had it. She had her dream. She had the lost vials of the Spencer T-Virus. It was in her hands, in was in her arm – it was in her blood.  
  
Orchida shivered in mindless ecstasy. She was so close.  
  
-  
  
Sam Bracknell was beginning to think that the mall was a waste of time. He had never been so bored in his life. Aside from the cold people that surrounded him, Sam also hated the merchandise. Spiderman action figures were all around him. Sony advertisements screamed in his ear. Blinding neon displays glowed from every corner of the store. Sam shuddered. America land of the freed from tyranny, now oppressed by the media. Sam wished the entire gamut of society would leave him alone. Sam walked up the stairs and watched the people on the escalator pass him by. He clamped his jaws together. They were going faster than him. Sam sped up and ran to the next floor.  
  
He didn't care if it was pointless, Sam just wanted to run.  
  
Story of my life.  
  
Sam continued running, his eyes fixed on the people on the moving stairway as he left them behind. He smiled to himself, then felt a person slam into his chest. Sam flipped over the body and landed face up on the floor. Sam lay there for a second, then quickly got up. The man he ran into was gathering his things. Sam walked up to him and took one of the papers he was collecting. When the man snatched it from him, Sam glanced at the top right corner. The insignia was made up of two colors, red and white. Black letters below it read "Umbrella." Sam's air caught in his throat.  
  
The man took his last paper and ran from the scene of the accident. Sam was one of the ones who believed the S.T.A.R.S. report on Umbrella. And seeing one of their filthy employees made him anxious.  
  
"Quite a spill you took, little guy." The voice said.  
  
Sam turned, seeing Derek's soft gaze falling from above him. The varsity football player smiled warmly, and gave Sam a hug. Sam shifted in Derek's arms. He never understood why Derek was such a hugger. He wasn't gay. He just hugged everyone. Maybe it was that he wanted to get as close to the girls as he could, se he evened out the behavior to the boys as well to avoid detection. Maybe . . .  
  
"Hey! I'm talking to you," Derek said. He shook Sam back to reality. "Boy, why you always zone out like that?"  
  
"Sorry. I was just thinking."  
  
"About how you'll kill off all the world powers and give the free world to yourself?"  
  
"Shut up!" Sam snapped. "That's not how an anarchy works!"  
  
Derek rolled his eyes. "Please don't start. I'm sorry I prodded you."  
  
"And I accept your apology. Don't mock a great mind, Derek."  
  
Derek walked Sam over to the Starbucks. "Well . . . anyhow," he changed the subject. "You gotta see this. There's a shirt in The Gap that says, 'Every time you masturbate, God kills a kitty'."  
  
"There's the thought of the day." Sam rolled his eyes.  
  
-  
  
Glass broke as the first B.O.W. made its entrance. The green monster arched through the sky below the window and landed in the midst of a group of people. A head fell to the floor beside him a second later, the frozen eyes staring in horror. The MA-120 Hunter's reptilian irises glistened as its banal drives registered hunger and the presence of a surfeit of food. His powerful maw opened and let out a chilling shriek. The group screamed and tried to run, but the Hunter was upon the next in a second, slashing his leg near the hip, opening a vital artery, triggering a death sentence. The second closest had stumbled over the body and now crawled away. The hunter focused on this victim and ran to it, throwing up its muscular arm into the man's midsection. The man gagged and felt as his stomach left his body, torn out by the Hunter's razor-ed hand.  
  
The boy watched his gutted brother gasp in surprise, then bend over to churn out pools of gore. He was the furthest away from the beast and made a run for it. He heard another shattering of glass and watched everything go black as a tick lump of muscles landed on him. Pinned to the floor, the boy turned his head to look at the monster above him. The eyeless beast towered over him, its disgusting exposed brain dripping with slick mucous, the exposed reeking muscle, the thick ivory claws, and the four-foot tongue that protruded from its mouth. The child watched in petrified fascination as the long tongue unfurled and drove into his face.  
  
-  
  
The cry of the RE-3 Licker echoed across into the mall's upstairs. Sam and Derek exchanged glances and walked over to the ledge to investigate the area below them. When the girl's scream burned in the air, they began running. Derek was first there and Sam slowed when he saw his reaction. Derek's entire body slumped over, his jaw dropping, his hands falling to his side. Sam wasn't sure he wanted to see what was happening.  
  
More screams filed the air and Sam pulled himself to look. There were actual creatures – monsters – below them. One type of them looked like a dog, but dogs never were skinned and burnt. The other looked like a reptilian gorilla. When it slashed the limbs off of a crying woman, Sam knew that it was more deadly than it seemed. The next one was a thin mutated-spider looking creature. Its long lanky arms each were tipped by a sharp claw, which it dug into the ceiling, allowing it to walk even upside down.  
  
Derek stuttered. "It – it's coming for us."  
  
Derek stood still after his sentence and blinked his eyes vacantly. Sam was sure that Derek was running faster than he was in his head, but Derek still didn't move. Sam grabbed his arm and pulled him away. "Let's get out of here!" He screamed. Derek jerked to life and ran.  
  
"Quick," said Sam. "The gun shop!"  
  
-  
  
Outside, Orchida stood by the building. The building had been surrounded by a thick wall and sealed shut. The only openings were through those windows and the front door. She looked to the door. Seven armed men stood guard, their MP5's aimed, ready to destroy anything living or semi-living that came through.  
  
Orchida smiled. "Another five minutes and we enter," she told her men.  
  
Brett looked nervous. He fidgeted with his trigger. Umbrella hadn't done anything like this before. When he was enlisted as a guard, he was told that he was only to stand by the doors and keep everyone out. Now, it was the same case. Only this time, he wondered what was happening on the other side of the doors. Inhuman shrieks and pitiful screams echoed from beyond that door. He stared at the doors, which had been covered over by a sheet of butcher paper to keep the "things" from seeing them, wondering. He kept fingering the MP5. Why did he need such a big gun? What was in there?  
  
With a loud bang the MP5 went off. Brett looked at his smoking barrel and hid his head in his hand.  
  
-  
  
Sam ran towards the gun shop, relief on his face. All he needed was a chance to fight back. Give me a SIGPro. Oh, God Give me a SIGPro.  
  
Behind him, Derek had regained his courage and was running at his full speed again. The Tristan Alpha's running back passed Sam by and closed in on the shop. Sam looked away from Derek and back to the shop. The pale shopkeeper was pulling down the metal gate.  
  
Sam cursed and ran faster. He had to get there in time!  
  
Brett took a final sprint and slid under the grate just as it shut. Sam slammed into the metal bars and stared at his friend. Then it clicked in his mind. What was the rush to close the gate? Sam spun around, seeing a half-rotted Doberman pincher in midair, jaws wide, ten inches away from him. Sam wouldn't have the time to scream.  
  
The blast of the shotgun went off by Sam's head. The Doberman exploded into a shower of coagulated blood. Sam closed his eyes and waited. After a moment, Sam wiped the bits of Doberman from his brow and turned to the keeper. "Open the gate!" Sam pleaded.  
  
"Nu-uh. Those beasts aren't coming in here!"  
  
"They'll kill him," Derek reasoned. "Open it."  
  
The shopkeeper stood his ground. "No. If you aren't killed first, you can get in through the back way. It's after the bathrooms and the door that says Authorized Personnel Only."  
  
Sam looked behind him to the chaos. "Give me a gun, put it on his tab."  
  
The man nodded and walked backwards to the counter. "Bastard," Derek muttered quietly.  
  
The keeper handed Sam a Samurai Edge and gripped his hand when he handed it to him. "Good luck. Live by the gun."  
  
Sam nodded and pulled the gun away. Brett's eyes bulged with sudden fear. "Sam! Look out!" Sam whirled around and saw the Hunter before him. He ran for room, but the hunter was too fast. It slashed at his leg. Sam jumped the attack and ran faster, colliding with the metal overlook. Sam teetered for a second, then fell over the railing, freefalling to the ground level floor of the mall, splashing into the fountain.  
  
END  
  
of Part One 


	2. Two Hearts Stop Beating

Two Hearts Stop Beating.  
  
The old man had his hands wrapped around Sam Bracknell's face. His lanky fingers tightly covered his mouth. Sam couldn't breathe. He couldn't scream. He was forced to only stare into his cold eyes. Sam struggled, but couldn't see his body move. The man let out a hissing scream. The man's heavy hands found their way into his mouth, his touch cold and light, like a liquid.  
  
Sam bolted upright from the water of the mall's fountain, throwing up a spray of liquid crystals. He gasped and looked around. The monsters were nowhere in sight. He calmed and let the water drain from his short hair. He let his lungs rise and fall, coughing out the last of the water from his throat as quietly as he could manage.  
  
Sam stood up, his heavy pants falling from his thin torso. He groaned and pulled them back up. It didn't make any sense. Monsters. Big lizard men. Skinless creeps with huge tongues. Half dead dogs. Sam thought back again to the S.T.A.R.S. report. These were Umbrella's creations. He knew it. He knew it with every cynical bone in his body. And who was that Umbrella employee in the building?  
  
Sam waddled out of the fountain. He stepped onto the floor and nearly slid. It was too much to believe, even if he had been preparing himself since July 25th. Sam coughed again and slumped to sit by the pool. There were distant screams above him. The monsters had moved upstairs. They were sweeping the mall. It was like a military invasion. The beasts were systematically corralling the survivors and slaughtering whichever ones stepped out of line.  
  
"Logical bastards," Sam spat. He wiped his mouth with his shirtsleeve. He looked to it. The silk shirt stuck to his body, holding against his chest, revealing his nipples to all. Sam didn't want to die this way. He spotted his gun a ways away from him – thankfully, not wet – and let his pants drop as he walked into the clothing store. He walked through the doorway, reveling in the idea of not needing a key. He looked one final time and grabbed himself a new shirt, removing the old one. He pulled the original shirt over his head, blocking his view for a split second -  
  
The scream came from the left of the clothing store. It was female. She wasn't in pain, but scared beyond belief. It was close to him. Close enough for him to do something about. Sam looked to the mirror in front of him and pulled on the dry shirt. He grabbed the pants and exhaled slowly. He wasn't sure what he was going to do.  
  
-  
  
Liia Thomas opened the trap door of the carousel. It seemed safe. She had listened for a full minute, making sure the monsters weren't able to get her. The coast was clear. She stepped out of her hiding place. The cords of the carousel gathered around her ankle and she wriggled free. She was glad she hadn't been electrocuted. It was a far better choice than being gutted, it seemed.  
  
She looked at the dead bodies around her, breathing in the standing blood. She suppressed tears – there were eyes gazing at her – there was a hand several yards away from it's owner – a guy lying over a girl, protecting her – the girl, her throat ragged and torn.  
  
Liia began running. It was too terrible. Seeing the horror around her made her see what she feared – death. Liia continued to run, coming to a corner. She came to a stop as she turned, seeing the creature that killed the little boy – the one with the horrid tongue. *It was staring right at her.* Liia skidded to a stop quietly and ran back, trying to find out what she needed to do to be ready to die.  
  
After a second, Liia realized the beast hadn't moved. She exhaled slowly and walked back to the creature. The tongue-thing still kept its stare on her. Liia stepped out of the corner and waved her hand slowly at it. Then she flipped it off.  
  
It was blind.  
  
Liia looked beyond the Licker to the Mervyns. She knew the way out from here. Perhaps the blind "Licker" was the safest way. She took a step, leeting her foot fall slowly. The soft click of her heel stopped her heart. She quickly slid off her high heels and began walking again. She placed her foot down, her soft flesh spreading across the floor inaudibly. She exhaled and looked back to the Licker. It stared just beyond her now. She was making progress. Liia breathed in, holding her breath desperately. She watched the Licker turn its head, the sulci and gyri valleys glistening in the neon lights. The Licker took a step towards her. Liia swallowed. The tongue moved in the air, flicking back and forth – like a snake's tongue when a rat hiding.  
  
It was smelling her.  
  
Liia panicked, taking another quick step. She felt the tears form on her face and wiped them with her hand. The Licker flicked its tongue again, then unraveled its lanky body from the crouch. It let out a hissing scream. Liia froze in place, turning to the Licker as it turned to fully face her. Quickly, Liia darted her hand into her purse and pulled out a bottle of U- 001 perfume. She tossed it behind the Licker and ran quietly. The Licker turned to the new sound and walked towards the new prey, the strangely familiar aroma overwhelming its senses.  
  
Liia ran from the Licker's hallway and ran towards the empty bench. It was in an empty part of the mall, so she rushed towards it and toppled down, letting the tears run freely down her face. She sobbed for a few seconds before she heard the guttural cry behind her. Liia spun around in her seat and came face to face with a large abhorrence. The creature moved towards her at a rapid speed. Liia let out a scream, hoping that someone – anyone would help. 


	3. The Tri-Blade

Part three  
  
Sam ran towards the source of the scream, pulling his pants on the rest of the way as he swung around the corner. When he came across the girl, he couldn't believe it – it was the bitch who made fun of him. She had backed into a corner, the terrible monster advancing on her slowly, his large frame about to block her out. Sam Bracknell raised his gun. If he wanted to be a hero, he had to act now. He lined the barrel up with the thing's neck and pulled the trigger.  
  
The bullet entered the beast's neck with a hollow thunk. The monster stopped and lifted its head slightly. It began to let out a long guttural groan, stretching the cry out as it rotated its fleshy neck, the bullet hole seeping out dark blood. The head swung around, revealing the abhorrence's massive under bite. The lower jaw protruded at least two feet beyond the other, a tongue whipping over the serrated teeth. Chewing was impossible, Sam imagined it killed its prey by shredding it, then swallowed it whole – that was before he saw the hand. One of the Tri-blade's hands was normal, a human hand with five fingers. The one that swung on its right side was different. Protruding straight from the hand was a lance-like claw of bone, twin blades surrounded this, curving away from the middle claw like sabers. Collectively, they made the Tri-blade into a mobile battle- axe, mounted on a tank. The creature's reptilian irises glistened with bloodlust. It moved away from the girl and towards Sam.  
  
Sam swallowed and fired off another round at the Tri-blade's gut. Sam watched the bullet streak to its target and lodge into the hide softly. Sam swallowed and backed away. This was going to be difficult. The Tri-Blade slithered toward Sam, dragging its hide along the tiled floors. Sam took another shot, the bullet finding its way into the monster's pectoral. It didn't care. The Tri-blade moved confidently, stalking its helpless prey. Closing in for the kill. Taking the kill. The Tri-blade raised its bladed arm to the left.  
  
Sam's eyes flickered with panic. He quickly dove towards the monster's left as the blade came down, arcing to land in the floor, lifting a tile from the cement. Sam was behind the beast and thrust out its boot, hoping to knock the creature over. The Tri-Blade stumbled, but caught itself with its left hand and threw itself upright, slashing wildly with its blades. Sam fell backwards to evade the flurry of attacks and rolled aside as the arm came down to place its side blade through his heart. Sam jumped to a stand and ran for a little bit of room. His eyes moved to find the princess he was rescuing. She was nowhere in sight. The ungrateful cunt had left him for dead. Sam rolled his eyes and stopped at the end of the hall space.  
  
The Tri-blade looked to his running prey and gave a guttural scream of fury. Sam stood in the corner, gasping, watching the beast. The Tri-blade took its center claw and jabbed through the skull of a dead cop. He lifted it into the air and shook it violently. Sam had pissed it off. The Tri- blade flung the cop aside, slamming the carcass into the wall. Sam watched the cop's body fly, the hip glimmering. The Tri-blade sped at Sam. Sam watched it come, waiting for it to close in further. When the monster got to the wall, Sam began to move, running to the opposite wall to get around the Tri-Blade. With a hiss, the creature slithered sideways to intercept.  
  
Shit. It was anticipating his moves. Sam ran faster, his plan too late to turn back from. The Tri-blade raised its arm high for the kill. Sam fired off a shot and watched the blade fly backwards, the parabellum round impacting the arm, knocking back the threat. Sam dove between the wall and the monster. Sam landed in a stumbling roll and ran as fast as he could manage. He quickly dove to the floor, hearing the air splice above him – he was sliding – hearing the behemoth groan – he had his hand inside the cop's holster, ripping out the gun . . .  
  
When Sam turned, he saw the beast upon him, the large jaw hanging open, dripping saliva, the blade chambered to jab. Sam fired both guns and watched the beast bowl him over.  
  
The two bodies lay still on the floor, the Tri-Blade on to of Sam's crushed body. Sam lay still, the Tri-blade's massive mouth spilling out its final breath. Sam gagged and wrestled to free himself. He stretched his body, pushing his shoulders free. Yanking his arms out, Sam grabbed the legs of the bench and pulled himself out. Sam laughed, relieved, the half insane cackling ringing through the halls. He moved to the body and kicked it. Hopefully it was dead. "You don't want any more of me. I'm a survivor, asshole." Sam grabbed the monster and tried to roll it, but the dead weight wouldn't move. So instead he grabbed the sin of the bald head and pushed it to face upwards. The two bulletholes in either eye told the beast as dead. "That's right," Sam said breathlessly. "Who da man?"  
  
He swallowed and looked to the end of the passageways. That girl was still in trouble . . . and it fell to him to help her. Sam groaned and pocketed his two guns. 


	4. Self Proclaimed Heroes

Liia collapsed in a heap, panting with her face against the plastic mesh of the jungle gym. Tears fell from her face onto the grand plastic castle. She was in trouble again. And she had probably caused some guy to die. But all she could do was cry. Liia stifled her tears, trying to contain herself, but she couldn't ignore her fears. Monsters, death . . . it was like a nightmare. It couldn't be real. Liia sat up and rested against the sign "World's Largest! Recreational Castle." The distant bodies were beginning to smell. Liia gagged, gasping in lung-fuls of the curdled blood.  
  
Something impacted Liia's head. It was a droplet of blood, staining her blond hair. Liia backed away from the dripping blood and looked up. A kid above her lie on the plastic bars, deep lacerations were over his hip and chest. He let out weak gasps of pain. Liia looked to him and saw that he stared at her, his lips moving slowly. "Help me."  
  
Liia looked to the tunnels connecting his chamber to the entrance and began moving. She wiped her tears and climbed up the chain ladder. Maybe she could be a hero too.  
  
Orchida pulled the door open and looked at the bodies that littered the floor. With a heartless smirk, she walked over the corpses with her heels, gouging the sharp plastic into their flesh. "Follow me, three of you."  
  
Brett hesitated, but the two men behind him pushed him ahead and pulled him to follow her. Rather than protest, Brett followed. He kept his MP5 level, knowing that danger surrounded him everywhere. There were monsters all around, bloodthirsty demons. Then he thought about Orchida.  
  
Orchida sounded alarms every time he saw her. Her disarming smile, the dagger holstered on her business-suit, her hidden lust for mayhem and death – she scared the hell out of him. There was many a time when he would be called into her office and see the hauntingly decorated walls. Orchida was a weapons expert, a lover of handguns and melee weapons. The top of her desk was a clear resin over a Viking Battleaxe. Two swords behind a shield backdropped her leather chair. Brett had also noted the jar of teeth on her shelf. They were all incisors, polished, bleached and kept clean. Brett had walked in on her once while she had a few out, shining them with a cloth. She was speaking to it, cursing it.  
  
A sound to Brett's left made him turn suddenly, facing a Hunter. He unclipped his safety as quickly as he could, but the Hunter fell over before he had a chance. He turned to see Orchida, her eyes flashing brilliantly over the barrel of a magnum. She replaced the magnum in her vest and continued walking, as the uneventful stroll continued.  
  
Brett swallowed. The mall was eerily silent now. The masses of people had all died. Now the only game left was his troop. Brett wondered if he would ever leave here alive.  
  
A soft beeping sounded from Orchida's direction. She reached into her vest and removed a tracker signal. "We're close," she said. "Stay here." Orchida walked on, leaving her men behind.  
  
Brett turned to the troop. There was a black man and a white. He smiled uncomfortably. "What now?"  
  
"Now, we stay alert," the white guy said firmly.  
  
The silence echoed numbly through the static.  
  
"Have – have you ever done one of these missions before?" Brett asked the black guy.  
  
"You having doubts?" the guy asked. "You work for Umbrella. There's nothing to worry about. There was an outbreak in this mall and we came in to seal the area. The police understand. They've already crossed off any survivors. So stop worrying."  
  
The white guy turned around. "You guys want to shut up? I'd rather not spend my time chatting while a Licker crawls up my ass."  
  
"Right-o." The Black guy took out his gun and aimed it to face the south corridor. Brett swallowed and looked to his tunnel. Far away, there was talking.  
  
"Hey, Black," the white guy said. "You hear that?"  
  
"Yeah I do, Ivory." The black guy replied. "It's a survivor."  
  
"Well . . . what do we do?" Asked Brett. "She told us to wait here."  
  
Ivory smiled. "She told us to die, you dumbfuck."  
  
Black took his gun and swung it in all directions, checking a final time. "Okay. We're moving out."  
  
Black and Ivory started walking, Brett followed them, walking backwards, never underestimating the beasts behind them.  
  
The mall cart drove through the hallways, Sam fighting the poor steering to get through the areas. A body had twice halted him and had to drag it into a wall, then back out to go forward again. The bodies were starting to look weird to him. He wanted to make them go away. He wanted to just get out of this mall.  
  
But he wouldn't let himself leave without the girl. If she was still alive, he felt that he had to save her. Sam had two guns, one at each side. Still he didn't feel confident against these things.  
  
He heard talking and turned the cart towards it. Maybe it was the girl. Whoever it was, it was female. And that was something to look forward to.  
  
Liia stood next to the boy, picking up his body in her hands. She turned him over and watched his eyes focus on her, then veer off, only to fight to see her again. There was a great puddle of blood below him, almost all that she imagined his body could hold. His mouth moved again.  
  
"Darryl . . ." he said.  
  
"No," she replied. "My name is Liia. Don't speak. You'll be okay."  
  
"Darryl . . . I'm dying."  
  
Liia grabbed the boy's sweater and tied it around his chest. "You'll be all right."  
  
The boy's life grew weaker. "Darryl . . . I . . . I can't feel. I . . ." The boy let out a wheeze. "I wanted to be a cop, Darryl. Just . . . like you." The boy cringed, then release his spirit into the wind. Liia watched his eyes fade, then closed them. So much for being a hero. She slammed her hand on the metal prongs.  
  
Above her, there was crying. Liia looked up and saw the cop, his name tag visible through the gaps in the plastic: Darryl. Liia ran up to him.  
  
-  
  
"Are you okay?" Liia asked the cop.  
  
"Shit. No." The cop winced. "Damn it." The cop looked down to the boy.  
  
Liia helped him to rest against the wall. "What happened?"  
  
"The kids were stuck in here when the attack happened. I tried to get them out."  
  
Liia looked to his empty holster. "Where's your gun?"  
  
"The beasts knocked it over the edge. They cut me up and left me to die."  
  
Liia looked over the side to the gun. "Can you move?"  
  
The cop shifted in pain. "The question isn't if I can move or not. It's whether or not I will live. No one's getting out of here alive. Let me stay here." Darryl swallowed. "Let me stay with my little buddy."  
  
Liia looked to the man and nodded. She admired his compassion for the kids. "Okay. If I get free, I'll send someone back for you."  
  
"Don't bother." The man settled back, his eyes gazing skywards. Suddenly he screamed. "Look out!"  
  
Liia's eyes flicked up, seeing the lanky blade creature above her. Thin arms gripped the mesh like a spider, crawling towards the tunnel. The Chimera let out a hissing scream, then darted towards her. Liia gasped and looked down to the cop's gun. It was her last hope.  
  
She ran, diving through the tunnel and pulling herself through the plastic tube. She heard the claws of the Chimera scrape the plastic walls as he sped nearer to her. It was ready to add another body to its home. In case it got hungry. Liia screamed and jumped out of the tunnel, down the slide back to the boy's body. Liia heard the creature snarling visciously. Behind her, Darryl had the creature by one of it's body arms. It fought against his pull, towards Liia.  
  
"Run girl!" The cop yelled before the monster quickly sliced at its neck, opening his trachea, letting the blood pour into his lungs. The creature was released and sped after Liia again. The creature leapt over the slide and was a second behind her. Liia jumped off of the gym, bypassing the ladder. She landed by the gun – a shotgun – and grabbed it. She swung it around, the barrel lining up with the airborne Chimera.  
  
Liia had never fired a gun before – but that didn't stop her.  
  
Sam had met up with a woman. She had been talking to a mirror at a toy store. She had asked it in a rhyme if it knew where her dear daughter was. She completely ignored Sam until he spoke as the mirror. He told her that the man beside her would help her find her, then instructed her to get in the cart.  
  
The woman objected and said that she would stay where she last saw her dear little girl. After a while, Sam gave up. When he heard the shotgun blast, he drove over to the next part of the mall.  
  
It had to have been the girl. She had found a gun and shot it just to help him find her. She wanted to thank him. Sam drove around a corner. He was going to be a hero yet. Sam smiled and sped the cart faster, driving towards the intersection. When he entered the open of the crossing hallways, he heard gunfire. Automatic gunfire. Turning his head aside, Sam saw Umbrella employees, dressed in Special Ops gear. They were firing at him. Sam sped to safety and leapt out of the vehicle.  
  
He grabbed his two guns and turned them around the corner. All he needed, Umbrella Employees with guns. At least it gave him a way to justify capping one of those heartless freaks. 


	5. Raised Stakes

Part 5  
  
Orchida looked over the bodies, the beeping filling the room like an artificial heartbeat. She walked forward, listening as the beeping increased its speed. In the distance she heard whimpering. She took another step and smiled, her red lips parting over her ivory teeth. Her heels clattered against the tiles in tune with the beeping. The source of the whimperings shuffled around. It was coming from the Sanrio Surprises.  
  
Orchida hummed a tune alongside the mechanical beeping, unlatching her Uzi Sub-machine gun. With a click she pulled back the hammer and lined the barrel up with the glass. The tremoring body gave one last shake. Orchida held down the trigger, spraying out a stream of scorching bullets. With a scream, a man rose from the display cases of the Sanrio Surprises and ran, heading for the small passage between Orchida and the entrance. He ran, the muzzle flashing beside his body as Orchida threw her bullets erratically around the room. He had the advantage of surprise. He could make it.  
  
The man ran beside Orchida, then came to a sudden halt as he felt the cold metal force against his neck. He gagged in surprise walked backwards. Orchida dragged the metal blade across his ragged neck, lifting his body as she rose the knife into his chin.  
  
"Robert Donner . . . I always expected to find you in a store like this." Orchida crooned.  
  
Robert backed away from the edge of the knife. "Surprise?" He walked backwards in a circle as Orchida teased him with the knife.  
  
"Not really." Orchida grabbed Robert by the hair. "Where is it?" She pulled him close, taking the knife away from his neck.  
  
"Where is . . . ? I don't know what you're referring to." Robert backed up.  
  
"You good for nothing chicken-heart," Orchida lifted the blade to parallel his face. "You don't know what's good for you." Orchida pulled him by the hair down towards the knife. "Do you?"  
  
Robert stared into the cold steel blade, watching as his vision shook around it. He wanted to resist, but struggling over a knife wasn't the best idea. His vision blurred, making the knife magnify in his view. "Please . . . miss . . ."  
  
"My name is Orchida," she demanded.  
  
"Orchida. Please Orchida."  
  
"And don't plead with me."  
  
"Just put away the knife. I'll tell you everything if you just put away the knife."  
  
Orchida let her ruby lips pull back in another foul smile. "My poor boy, you know that that's not how Umbrella handles things." Robert fought back against her pull. Orchida gave him some slack. "You dear fool. It isn't wise to fight around sharp objects. Put your head back before we injure somebody."  
  
Robert frowned and put his head back into position. "I . . . I'm sorry." He watched the blade move towards him.  
  
"I'll only ask once more, Robert," Orchida almost sounded polite. "Where is it?"  
  
Robert hesitated. He knew what she was talking about. He knew the reverberations of giving it to her. He couldn't. He just couldn't do that to his world. He still had a wife. And children. In Raccoon. They hadn't evacuated yet. He couldn't bring the promise of such chaos into Umbrella's hands –  
  
The blade scraped across his lens.  
  
"If I were you . . . Orchida said. "I would stop quivering."  
  
"It . . . it's in my vest pocket."  
  
Orchida removed the blade and gouged the blade deeply into Robert's stomach. "You're not wearing a vest."  
  
Robert struggled and tried to pull away. "I know!!! I left it at the store . . . next to Macy's – across from the pretzel place!"  
  
"Which one?"  
  
"I don't know! I'll take you there! For the love of God, just let me live!"  
  
Orchida smiled and said, "I believe you."  
  
Robert felt relief flow from his body. "Oh . . .thank God!" Then he felt the knife pierce his back.  
  
"But that means I don't need you." Orchida looked into his eyes as they widened in surprise and agony. Orchida was piercing into his stomach, then as she dragged the blade up, she pushed through his lung and separate his shoulder-blade. She twisted the knife as she curved it up his neck, kissing him gently, darting her tongue onto his upper lips. As the knife moved towards he neck he began to scream.  
  
-  
  
Sam exhaled, listening as the Umbrella Employees thundered towards him. Their steel-toed boots echoed as they slammed onto the tiled floor. He waited and Hardened his hands around the guns. It was time to fight.  
  
The first employee rounded the corner, raising a MP5 eye level with his white face. Then he saw the guns that Sam held and dove to the ground. Sam fired one round from each gun and spun aside to enter the store on his right. Sam dove inside, watching as the black man leapt horizontally through the air, his gun blazing as it dispersed shots where Sam had been. Sam waited, hearing the man land, then strafed from the store, his guns firing off as many shots as he could manage. His shots spread up Ivory's chest like hailstones on a sidewalk, Ivory gritting his teeth as the shots burrowed into his flesh. Sam continued running, fire returning from the black man.  
  
-  
  
Brett watched Ivory as his back exploded, crimson geysers spewing streaks of free-flowing blood. Brett slowed from his jog and watched as Black threw his gun upwards, firing off a salvo of slugs. Brett ran to him, but he rolled to the side again, staying with his prey. Brett looked to Ivory's body, seeing his distant gaze floating skyward, then rolling back towards earth.  
  
Brett grabbed Ivory's gun and pushed his eyelids down. With the sound of a grunt, Brett looked up, seeing Black take a shot to his cheek. Brett watched the cheek unfurl, cascades of blood pouring down. Black rolled to the side again, back to Brett. He reached his arm up to the wound and felt the fatty flesh fall into his palm. Black's jaw dropped, the cheek tissue jiggling. He swung his head around, whipping the tethered meat towards his ear. "You missed!" Brett wanted to throw up. Black turned to Brett and pointed a finger towards the halls. "Go. This just got personal." Black handed Brett his automatic. "Get back to safety. Get back to Earth." Brett ran. Black took a minute, then removed his primary gun: a Beretta with "John" engraved on the grip.  
  
Black narrowed his eyes. "Come on kid."  
  
-  
  
Sam took a moment to rest behind the wall. The shots had stopped and the two were talking. After a moment, he heard Black call to him. "Come on kid."  
  
Sam peered in the glass reflection to the spot he had last seen the gunner.  
  
"I put away my big gun. Let's settle this like men. Holster one of your guns and step into the open."  
  
Sam looked at the black man as he stood up slowly. Sh*t. He was being serious. Sam stepped out of his hiding spot, raising both of his guns skywards. Sam dropped one onto the floor. He sighed. "Now what?"  
  
Black rose the gun beside him. "This is my brothers gun. He died when he was twenty. I would be honored to kill you with it. Now, we're going to play a game. It's called Showdown. Stop me if you know it."  
  
Sam rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I know it."  
  
Black smiled. "Good. " What count you want?"  
  
Sam shrugged. "Three. Let's keep this short."  
  
Black dropped his smile. "It was nice knowing you."  
  
Sam stayed silent. Black dropped his hand to the side and turned. Sam grunted silently and turned as well.  
  
Black counted. "One." His foot hit the floor once. Sam pressed his foot into the tiling, shaking. He felt beads of sweat form over his brow. This match wasn't fair. Obviously Black had experience with this. He had probably been killing people this way since he was a kid. He probably killed his brother this way. The thought sent a chill down Sam's back. Black took another step. "Two." Sam took another step, his footstep accompanied by quick scurrying. Sam looked to where the sound came from, but it wasn't there. Sam hoped he made it to three. Black's foot slammed into the concrete as he yelled "Three" with all of his breath. Sam dove aside, spinning in a 180 trying to get a lock on Black. Sam lined up his vision with Black, seeing the barrel lined up with his head, adjusted to compensate for the bullet's lag. It was a fatal shot. Sam watched in slow motion, thinking that he was watching the perfect headshot.  
  
When Black's head exploded, it was clear what the perfect headshot looked like. As Black slumped over and fell fully to the floor, Sam was treated to the beautiful spectacle of a sixteen-year-old girl. Her redhair spilled over her shoulders carelessly. Her soft lips were pulled back in a gritting snarl. In her hands was a Colt .45. She raised the gun parallel to her body and smiled at Sam.  
  
Sam watched her smile, frightened by the girl.  
  
"Hi," she said. I'm Lacy Treece. I'm here to save you."  
  
Sam fought for words, then spilled out a single one. "Damn."  
  
Lacy smiled sweeter, her eyes dancing with embarrassment. "Sorry for stealing your kill. But he was obviously better suited for duels than you were. I just wished I had killed him before he gave away the MP5." Lacy picked up the gun and toyed with it. Then she handed it to Sam.  
  
Sam was unsure of what to say. "Lacey Treece? Aren't you?" Sam watched as the girl laughed at his stupor. "Your mother."  
  
Lacy knew what he meant, even though he didn't make sense. "Yes. My mother's looking for me. She still thinks I'm a little girl."  
  
"She's waiting for you at the toy store."  
  
Lacy looked down. "No, she's not."  
  
Sam was taken by surprise by the sudden change in the energetic girl. She looked down to the floor and sighed. Sam nodded. He wouldn't say anymore.  
  
Lacy smiled again, "So, where's this hot rod of yours?"  
  
Sam looked around, then remembered that he had the cart. He pointed around the corner. "It's over there." They started walking, then he looked to her in the corner of his eye.  
  
Lacy blushed. "You're too old for me.  
  
Sam nodded. "Right you are."  
  
Lacy giggled – then picked her teeth and spit a green fleck onto the floor. "Let's go then." The two of them got into the cart and Sam started it. He moved the cart forward, leaving the halls. Lacy slumped back into the seat and yawned. "This stench is gonna make me hurl. And I gotta piss. I just don't wanna see what's there."  
  
Sam rounded the corner and drove towards the front of the store. The girl he just rescued was of no worth to him. He wanted someone over 18. He still had to find the other girl, and – if she was smart, which she probably was – she was heading to the exit. Sam drove the cart faster, then found the blonde in the distance, walking away from him. Sam honked at her, then waited with anticipating eyes as she turned around, a shotgun in her hands.  
  
Lacy was impressed. "Nice gun!"  
  
Sam slumped in his seat. "Why is everyone suddenly tougher than me?"  
  
Liia looked at the man in the driver's seat and smiled. "Hi, Sam. Sorry I left you back there." She shifted, uncomfortably. Sam nodded and swallowed. "She exhaled, relieved. "I'm Liia."  
  
In the passenger's seat, Lacy wore a grin as she snickered. "Oooooh . . ."  
  
The trip back to the gunshop was uneventful, but Sam retuned, finding the metal bars that sealed the shot broken. His only new discovery was to find his friend dead, a bleeding Hunter covering his enormous body. Sam grabbed a SigPro, just like he wanted and left his friend there.  
  
Brett stood beside the exit, holding his MP5. The sound came from the back of the store. Brett turned to it, peering over the barrel of the gun. Brett watched as a mall cart came out of the corridor and drove towards his area. Three people were in it, two girls and one guy. He lowered his gun at them. The three of them pulled weapons on him.  
  
No! A voice in Brett pleaded. Umbrella can't kill everyone! You can't kill everyone!  
  
Brett returned his gun to his side. "I wouldn't try to leave. Not through the door anyway."  
  
Sam took in his words, examining their meaning. However, Liia snapped out, "Get out of our way, pinhead!"  
  
Lacy added in, "Or I'll shove every gun we got down your throat!"  
  
Sam watched the man's sincere eyes narrow. "Believe me. This isn't your way out."  
  
Sam nodded and put the car in reverse. He backed out in an arc, hitting the wall with the back of the car. Liia grunted. Sam drove in drive, moving the car into the bench. He spun the wheel around and put it back in reverse. Sam moved the car again and the engine cut out.  
  
Sam groaned. "Fuck me with a blender!"  
  
Brett looked to Sam. "Do you need help?"  
  
Sam restarted the engine and drove off. "No thanks, we're good!"  
  
Sam drove away, looking to Liia when he had gathered the courage. He was surprised to find that Liia was looking at him. She smiled and looked forward again. Sam dropped his gun and moved his empty hand towards hers. Timidly he grabbed her hand and took it in his. Liia looked at Sam, unsure. After a second, she nodded and smiled. Sam inhaled. Life wasn't too bad. Too many monsters, but it was still cool. Sam looked back to her, but a gunshot rang out. He turned to the source, the car spinning to face the Pretzel Shoppe.  
  
Orchida reached into the bloody vest. She grabbed the pocket and removed the vial of T-Virus. Finally . . . she had it. Now she could leave Umbrella behind, below. She could be the queen she yearned to be. Her greedy hands would fill with the blood of her opponents. The riches of all would rain on her. Orchida smiled then grabbed the top of the syringe, pulling off the protective cover, letting the sharp needle shine in the neon lights. She thirstily licked her lips, then pulled up her sleeve.  
  
"Not even Birkin has enough balls to toy with the T-Virus."  
  
Liia held Sam's hand tighter. "I don't like this."  
  
Sam swallowed. "I don't either."  
  
The green virus freed itself into her bloodstream, taking an instant effect . . . 


	6. Happy Ending

Part 6  
  
It was beautiful. Skies of blue were overrun by dark rain clouds, heavy with their bounty. With their rain, they brought forth her promise. The promise of prosperity, riches and victory. The clouds broke, sending down their prize slowly. One droplet landed on Orchida's face, streaking red across her eyelid. Another drop fell onto her lips, making the crimson lips drip rubies. Orchida pushed her lips together, pulling the drop into her mouth, tasting the bitter blood. The rain fell as a gentle shower, then increased to a storm, blood whipping around as the winds increased.  
  
Orchida smiled, then the clouds blacked out her thoughts.  
  
-  
  
The eyes of Orchida clenched together as she bucked backwards, throwing her body against the tree. She spasmed, throwing out her arms to the side. Sam watched as the arm grew thicker, the fingers giving way to black talons. Her mouth opened, but nothing human came out. It roared as its head disappeared beneath folds of skin. Her face stretched onto her chest, her glasses shattering as they were forced around the bulky body.  
  
Sam watched Orchida's beauty melt away into a disgusting creature. Her large right arm grew to reach the floor. To compensate, her left hand atrophied and fell off. Orchida's body lost its hourglass figure and distorted to a muscle-bound upper body reliant torso. Orchida's face moved into the center of her chest and opened up, the mouth forming a gaping hole directly into her stomach. The cilia of her stomach elongated into tentacles each two feet long.  
  
The Orchid threw out its clawed hand, letting out a deep bellow, barely registered by Sam. It moved towards the cart. Sam looked to Liia, instinct washing over him. He looked back to the Orchid and to Liia, before Lacy's Colt .45 blocked his view of her. Sam jumped from the cart and ran to the other side of the room, taking out his two guns. He couldn't let the beast near his women. Lacy fired one last shot from her Colt and yelled four consecutive curses. Sam pulled the triggers.  
  
The bullets slammed into the muscles of the Orchid, calling forth cascades of blood. The Orchid turned to him, gaze intent on him. The Orchid grunted and placed it hand on the ground, then threw itself into the air, barreling at Sam.  
  
Sam was taken by surprise and backed away, but the Orchid slammed into him, shoving him across the room. Sam bounced against the Star Wars display case and fell over. The Orchid ran at him. Sam popped up from the ground, throwing his gun to the Orchid, pulling the trigger as many times as he could. The Orchid took the hits, not minding much. It closed in on him and thrusted out its clawed hand of obsidian. Sam dodged, and jumped over the hand, stepping onto the body of the Orchid. It gave a bellow, then sent its stomach tentacles after Sam's feet. Sam jumped away, but felt the slimy tentacle wrap around his foot. Sam stumbled in midair and hit the ground face first. Sam dropped one of his guns and grabbed for something to hold himself from the mouth, but he saw the claws bearing down on him. Sam rolled aside and the claws slammed into the tiles, shattering the bench he reached for.  
  
Sam gasped out in panic and watched the claws return. He moved aside, closer to the beast. He could see the muscles twtitching around the Orchid's mouth. Across the room, Liia screamed out his name.  
  
Sam suddenly felt pain and looked to his foot. The stomach tentacle had him around the foot and was spreading its acids over his leg. Sam's skin was being eaten away. Sam groaned and fired his gun at the tentacle. Sam blasted off the tentacle, freeing himself and ran.  
  
Liia screamed again and Sam felt claws plunge into his back. He was lucky though and not fatally wounded, but was bleeding all over the place. Sam turned to the Orchid and saw it chase him, Sam looked just beyond it to the syringe that created it. Beside that was an Uzi. Sam ran and jumped for it. With the Uzi he stood a chance.  
  
Sam dove for it, and wrapped his hands around the barrel – he turned it – it was going to be close – Liia screamed – the Orchid raised its claw – Sam turned . . .  
  
Sam didn't feel the claws enter him. He couldn't tell that it was even him. It was like watching a person far away die. The claws entered Sam's face, wedging in between his eye and cheek. The Orchid slid the carcass off of its claws, and let the stomach tentacles pull it into its mouth.  
  
Liia screamed out a pained "No!" running up to the monster with her shotgun, abandoning all fear or logic. The Orchid turned to her, then a wave of bullets ripped through its chest, splitting the beast in two with automatic fire. Liia turned away from the dead creature and turned to the source of the bullets. At the hallway stood Brett, his Umbrella insignia ripped from his uniform, a smoking MP5 in his hands. He looked down as he lowered the gun, but exhaled and smiled. He looked up to Liia and walked to her. Liia turned to Lacy, who got out of the cart and walked to him. Liia looked to Sam's body, and let out a tear. He tried. He gave his life for us. But thanks to him . . . it would all be okay.  
  
-  
  
The Tristan Mall rumbled, then exploded in a brilliant ball of light. Far, far away, a man in a white business suit inhaled softly.  
  
It was a successful mission. Get rid of Donner and Orchida. Secure the missing T-Virus vial and don't let out any survivors. The head of White Umbrella felt the winds sweep across his vest. The winds were blowing to the south, towards Raccoon. He inhaled and closed his eyes. 


End file.
